As we wrap up on the first event of 2021 we reflect on some of our highlights from the road.

![Nils Laengner JAR](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6pEjFMkLh3qHw7jrFp6OHg/dcf2fa087519e352e950a4a26ada1a31/Nils.jpg)
📸 Nils Laengner

The Journey Around Rwanda has kicked off the 2021 season with something a bit different; no winner and no grand depart. Instead, the Journey has been defined by what it has offered, not what it hasn't. Riders have afforded longer stops for interactions with locals, a gentler pace to take in Rwanda's splendour and dynamic landscapes and a bit more time to fix those unavoidable mechanicals... The tea plantations and monkeys have been firm favourites of ours.

![Lukas Rathgeber](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7yfLLz8DdmQDg0YkbQYet/46877819618d8b8dffed10aa56941d1b/Lukas_Rathgeber.jpg)
📸 Lukas Rathgeber

Riders chose between gravel and road routes and each group had their own hotels each night providing the perfect opportunity for some story sharing from the day's riding. On two nights, both groups shared the same hotel, making for double the storytelling!

Even riders on a journey can't escape the inevitability of mechanicals; Peter Magill saw his Dura-Ace Di2 rear derailleur pack it in while Eleonora Balbi's left crank fell foul to the Rwandan dust. Eleonora's 2020 Race Around Rwanda was also affected by a broken handlebar and a tilted saddle.

![Eleonora Balbi](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4ea7WzmSAo1IEL7BeDokfU/e835306a57d75aeff4f601a8a3ca7769/Eleonora_Balbi.jpg)
📸 Eleonora Balbi

![Peter Magill mechanical](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4AREOWuQGRlmiYemSJIHOG/2146313bd75113025715e55a7707be32/Peter_Magill_mechanical.jpg)
📸 Peter Magill

We've had a great week following such an enjoyable event and taking pleasure from watching riders exploring new and beautiful lands once again. We hope this is the first of many events this year and we're all on track to some new adventures this year 🤞

![Peter Magill](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/ZzClTTmoGFF6UrVUzHMRc/e4a696145333ed7e5c44ed1032973697/Peter_Magill.jpg)
📸 Peter Magill

The Final Day! Day 6

On paper, today's route looked to be an easier day; only 110km for the gravel riders and still 145km for the road route. But the numbers often lie.

This respite in distance lured riders in to a false sense of security and many took the opportunity to have a long breakfast and a lie-in. The gravel on the menu was brutal and slowed the progress of many riders, especially for the two riders who took a wrong turn with only 4km left to go...

A couple of the naughty ones at the back made it to the hotel only just in time for their 6pm curfew.

![Nils ](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2jE2lloDcknXACaPWVvHFi/cffe61a7318052aac885f86acfd31a27/1.jpg)

![144520165 710528889827610 7160511770945652628 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6sWVuaNQ7hGzbi1ZA7VPEB/26fc012c9d2312ddc0f1920a120da8a7/144520165_710528889827610_7160511770945652628_n.jpg)

📸 Nils Laengner

Even a journey is not without its mechanicals. As we see time and time again, the resourcefulness of locals in remote ares of low income countries never fails to offer a solution to the problems caused by highly sophisticated cycling equipment. A Dura-ace Di2 failure in remote Rwanda? No problem.

![Peter Magill mechanical](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2fu3F55w8YbZ6YDBKY1ZWM/e40c0ba13884a28a80fc836df3413139/Peter_Magill_mechanical.jpg)

![Peter Magill Mech 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2rIbyXjvHZhVAcWxJ1iMQm/79b5d860ef9534356b0720d72246a74a/Peter_Magill_Mech_2.jpg)

📸 Peter Magill

The day's elevation was defined by a 16km climb of 1,000m, taking the riders up to 2,500m and through dense rain forest which contrasted with the wide open tea plantations throughout the rest of the route.

![Adrien JAR Day 4 II](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3pmrjQgU6CBnJxMLzReABX/dab54d683a2b4b1881e8c46dad4ee878/Adrien_JAR_Day_4_II.jpg)

📸 Adrien Liechti

![JAR Triban Road pics](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2wdMeXdcECsKVcZnYHPveD/c4b94fdbfcae5e1fb90b15bdae6a66ed/145143833_221907522706998_3532116789708767476_n.jpg)


Day 4

The third day of the Journey Around Rwanda saw road and gravel routes take on 115km and 200km respectively, with both over 2,500m of climbing. Both routes headed South along Lake Kivu, providing an entire day's views over the water and towards the Democratic Republic of Congo. The two brand new sectors on the gravel route took many riders by surprise; the Gishwati Forest sector at 50km brought the riders alongside wide open fields, through dense forest for a moment of monkey spotting and up some smooth steep roads, while the Congo Nile Trail section seldom dropped below 8%.

Today was the first time since leaving Kigali that the riders from both routes met and they are currently staying in the same hotel tonight. We predict an evening of story sharing and comraderie to be on tonight's menu!

Day 3 has presented the very best of Rwanda in one ride; volcanoes, lakes, tea plantations, mountains, town centre cobbles, rocky "gravel, sweet smooth tarmac and the hospitality of a beautiful nation.

![JAR Day 3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/33xisePYVxHafdPgfmtyPl/fa177c6402f9cd3ec78723317adcd7cb/144178698_874383900086114_8156135620981157155_n.jpg)

![JAR Day 3 III](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1fcix8IzTTnOZoSU0ZFH6C/f0e437ed89139f94671df1d964001b00/144482985_1350247025353529_6023880826601243946_n.jpg)

![JAR Day 3 IV](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3EB4RRsFIOyCPLYGu9hcDw/e596c8468372db8676d652ae33c5d822/144636504_884613835607037_453501344737853889_n.jpg)

📸 Sandrine Fraissard and Clémence Vandergheynst

![JAR day 3 II](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/65oNEjivylobAKfCKH97mT/921a4142e9e2ddcf74714afaf469f4d2/144779185_850583412156445_1607839508111774953_n.jpg)

📸 Eline De Schutter


Day 3

The second day of riding proved that althought it's not a race, a journey is certainly not without its challenges. An unchanged route and timeline from the Race Around Rwanda leaves riders with still a large volume of daily riding to complete. Each day provides a race against the clock as Rwanda has a curfew of 6pm to 4am forcing many riders to be up and riding before sunrise which is a standard of ultra-racing! Riders have opted for either the gravel (red) or tarmac (green) version of the Journey and each category has its own hotel for the night.

Travelling in a pandemic brings unique demands; even with a negative Covid-19 test in Kigali, riders and support crew are still required to take a test after every five days to ensure the safety of these remote towns and villages.

As we saw in the first edition of the Race Around Rwanda; when it rains, it pours! And that light, smooth, red dirt quickly turns to a claylike surface and those without knobbly tyres or insufficient width soon regret their kit choices and soon reducing them to walking.

![JAR Walking](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4tEWEMrgv3LaZQOMfJIUl6/e61239cb1e250b0ac931ac13bb2e9154/JAR_walker_in_mud.jpg)
📸 Nils Laengner

Rwanda is fondly known as The Land of 1000 Hills and the riders experienced many of these today. With 200km to tackle, the riders were also treated to a handful of Rwanda's hills and a start elevation of 1,400m meant the riders were soon above 2,000m and stayed there for much of the day.

The spectacular views of the day included those of Luke Muhazi and Sabyinyo Volcano which sits just the other side of the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

![day 2 views JAR](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4JMLAbOI01GrvpzPprGKFN/41a1852c2ac485c31c7ed5ebf649be6c/day_2_views.jpg)

Day 2

[Check out the riders setups for 6 days of exploring Rwanda
](https://dotwatcher.cc/feature/bikes-of-journey-around-rwanda)


Curious to know what bikes the riders have dialled in?

As the Race Around Rwanda was amended to a Journey in order to comply with Rwandan restrictions, we're treated to an usual event. It's never been about the destination and, now more than ever, it's all about the journey.

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